Students describe their own relationship to the environment. Then they analyze hunter-gatherers and the nomadic tribes’ relationship with American bison. Next they analyze early farming communities and how irrigation impacted settlement. Finally, they explain how tribes in the different Indian culture regions adapted to the physical regions.
Students read an introduction explaining how American Indian life was closely tied to the land and environment, then view an image and caption about dream catchers. They respond to a class table prompt describing their own relationship with the environment.
Teacher MovesPreview the experience, highlighting key vocabulary and lesson objectives. If available, assign leveled readers about Indians and buffalo to support background knowledge. After students post their responses about their relationship with the environment, invite several students to share and facilitate a brief discussion connecting their ideas to the upcoming learning.
Students read about early hunter-gatherers, focusing on how they obtained food and their dependence on bison. They examine a description of how Indian tribes used nearly every part of the buffalo and view a painting of the Mandan Buffalo Bull Dance. Students then post predictions on a class wall about why the tribesmen danced dressed as buffalo and read a fun fact about how the Karankawa used alligator grease to repel mosquitoes.
Teacher MovesClarify the concept of hunter-gatherers and emphasize the scale of historic bison herds and how westward expansion caused their numbers to dwindle. If appropriate, explain how Anglo settlers also hunted buffalo and how U.S. policy after the Civil War intentionally reduced buffalo herds to control tribes dependent on them. After students share predictions about the Buffalo Dance, select a few to explain their thinking, then describe the Mandan Buffalo Dance as a spiritual practice to call buffalo before a hunt and connect it to the tribes’ sacred relationship with the animal.
Students read about the shift from hunting and gathering to farming, including the cultivation of maize and other crops, animal raising, and the development of permanent villages and controlled use of fire. They view an illustration of 16th-century Indian maize farming and then read about early irrigation systems in the Southwest and farming methods such as crop rotation and seed saving among Gulf tribes like the Caddo. Students respond on a class wall explaining how irrigation helped some Indian tribes settle in villages, and then read a fun fact about how a Pawtuxet Indian helped the Pilgrims learn to farm and use local resources.
Teacher MovesHighlight how farming and irrigation provided a more reliable food source, supported population growth, and encouraged permanent settlements. After students post their explanations about irrigation and village life, share an interesting or strong response with the class and use it to reinforce that irrigation allowed people to grow food in more places, making settlement in additional locations possible.
Students review descriptions of the four Indian culture regions in Texas—Southeastern, Puebloan, Plains, and Gulf—focusing on how each group obtained food, lived (sedentary or nomadic), and used local resources. They examine a pair of maps showing Texas physical regions and Indian culture regions, then respond on a class wall explaining how tribes in each culture region adapted to the physical environment where they lived.
Teacher MovesGuide students in comparing the physical regions map with the Indian culture regions map, pointing out areas of overlap and difference. After students submit their explanations, share an exemplary response and use it to summarize how different tribes adapted their food sources, goods, trade, and housing to the resources and conditions of their physical regions, such as Plains Indians roaming the Plains regions and settled tribes building homes from local materials.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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